Loop bridging structure for conveyers



Aug. 8, 1950 E. M. CROSLAND LOOP BRIDGING STRUCTURE FOR CONVEYERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 13, 1948 Chi" Aug. 8, 1950 E. M. CRO$LAND 2,517,983

LOOP BRIDGING STRUCTURE FOR CONVEYERS Filed Feb. 13, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /N v E N 7' o 2.

" /ffyf 1950 E. M. CROSLAND 2,517,983

LOOP BRIDGING STRUCTURE FOR CONVEYERS Filed Feb. 15, 1948 3 Sheets-Sheet s 6- t 15 1 H 15 pi Patented Aug. 8, 1 950 FFICE LOOP BRIDGING STRUCTURE FOR ooNvEYERs I I llldward Milne! Crosland, Culcheth, near War- I rlngton, England, assignor to T. & T. Vicars Limited, Newton-le-Willows, England, a British company I Application February 13, 1948, Serial no. 8,226 l In Great Britain August 28, 1940 1 Section 1,'Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires August 28, 1960 v 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements inthe picking'up and packing of flat articles such as finished biscuits.

Biscuits are baked flat on either trays or bands, and to assist in the picking up of these biscuits so that they ,may be put into containers it is customary to use a stacking machine.

This machine takes the flat biscuits and puts them on edgein close formation and conveys them along a table between guides, so that it is easy. for a quantity ofbiscuitsto be picked up at a time ready to go directly into tins or trays. It is necessary to have guides or fences between the rows of biscuits so as to keep them from moving sideways, whilst as the biscuits passing over the conveyor may differ in shape and size, such guide fences must be adjustable with regard to the spacing across the conveyor. Again, as biscuits cut with the same cutter may vary slightly according to baking conditions, it is desirable that adjustment of the fence spacing may be made quickly and easily whilst the conveyor is running,

The improvements of this invention are particularly directed to this guide and means for holding the same.

The packing table is usually of considerable length, longer than it is convenient to construct an individual guide member, and it has been customary to hold these guide members, longitudinally at definite intervals, as for instance, a packing table 18' long would have about three supports for these guides.

Further, the packing table is usually in the form of an endless web carrying the biscuits along, the web being'run at such a speed that it will accept the biscuits that are fed to it at such a rate that a column of biscuits will remain in a substantially vertical position.

It has been usual to supply bridges over the top of the guides from which communicating pieces are hung down to support the guides, the bridge pieces being high enough up to allow the biscuits to pass underneath. However, these bridge pieces are inconvenient inasmuch as the biscuits cannot be picked up from underneath them, and at the same time biscuits that may not be in perfect formation and that lie at an angle may catch the communicating link between the bridge and the guide and so cause a stoppage in the column of advancing biscuits, which may cause breakages. Also, it has been customary to have the fences attached to the bridge pieces at fixed centres, these not being adjustable whilst the machine is running.

An object of this invention is'to eliminate the According to this invention the carryingweb on the packing table'is looped at intervals, leaving a small space between the loops, whereby a series of slippers can be introduced whichwill allow the biscuits to slide across and which win at the same time provide a support for the fences. These supports may be at fixed centres, but preferably they have some adjustment across the packing table so as to more readily accommodate thte varying size of biscuit that may be dealt wi h.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of one form of conveyor,

Figure 2 is an elevational view on an enlarged scale of a loop in the conveyor,

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 showing adjustment means for the guides,

Figure 4 is an outside elevation corresponding in part to Figure 3, showing the guides in a different position of adjustment,

Figure 5 is a view of the guides detached in elevation,

Figure 6 is a corresponding plan view,

Figure 7 is a view corresponding to Figure 2 showing a modified form of construction,

Figure 8 is a sectional elevation on the line (3-0 of Figure "7.

A conveyor web I Figures 1 and 2, for conveying articles such as biscuits, may be of any desired form, but will usually be made of endless wire coils. At spaced points in its run it is looped over guide rollers 2, 3, and a larger roller 4.

The intervening space between the loops at the level of the conveyor is bridged by means of a slipper 5. Guide bars 6, I, for the biscuits or the like articles are preferably provided with inter-engaging means at their ends, and means to lock with an upstanding projection 8 on the bridge slipper '5.

The guide bar 6 has a narrow slot 9 milled in it and is provided at its end with a tongue ll so that it may be locked over the projection 8 and thus prevented from moving longitudinally with the conveyor. By this means also, it will be prevented from being displaced laterally. The next succeeding guide bar I is also provided with a cut-away portion or slot 10 engaging over the tongue l'lrso Ltliatthisaerrd of theenextiguideabar' is also prevented" from sideways displacement except with the slipper 5.

The slipper 5 is integral with or mounted on a block l2 which is preferably internally rthreaded are rotated to cause axial relative displacement of sleeves I3 and blocks l2.

A spring or weight may be provided togkelep the various blocks H! in abutting relationship one with the other. Alternatively, as showniin Figure 8, the threadedtsleeve 13 may have a dense: '2 ia-t-aits end engaged-by a: fork 20 "on the next block 18 so, that in this-cas.e,*springs, or

means to form loops in said web at spaced intervals, bridging slippers in the gaps formed by said loops, a plurality of :rectangular guide bars, notched-to interengage attheir'ends and mounted on said slippers, and an upstanding projection on said slippers toprevent the lateral dis- ,-placement Q'f,the guide bars relatively to said :slippers.

2. A conveyor for small articles comprising in 'combination a-conveyor web, means to displace ;said conveyor--web,:means to displace said conveyor web continuously in one direction, means to form loops in said web at spaced intervals,

' bridgingslippersiimthe gaps formed bysaid loops, .rguide ?barson said bridging slippers, threaded bushescarrying said slippers, and a threaded key Ibar engaging with said bushes for axially ad- Justmg the slippers relatively to said conveyor.

weightswill not bemecessary tomaintain the ad-- justed relative displacement; of: the :guide bars 6 asset-by rotating-the tommybar l4.

- zBreferablyrthe.blockslZ, 418, are provided with angle plates l6, ",overlapping withthin'slipper plates 15 on i the blocks.

1 declare that what I claim :is:

1. =Aeo0n-veyor-ior :small articles comprising in combination a conveyor web,.means .to displace said conveyor -webcontinuously in .onedirection,

EDWARD MILNER CRO'SLAND.

. REFERENCES .m'rED l he following references :aremf :record in the file of this patent:

, ,UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 424,435 Smith .Mar. 125, .1890 :1 ,5 '76;338 .Ladd. ,Mar. .9, .1926

FOREIGN RATENTS Number Country Date -.Great Britain 13i 

